Water heater



WATER HEATER Filed Oct. 25, 1944 H i I I T l l /5- I T 6 2 I i;

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I N VEN TOR.

l/nxau: E. fi'mvousy Patented Nov. 8, 1949 WATER HEATER Harold E. Handley, Jackson, Mich.

Application October 25, 1944, Serial No. 560,292

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a water heater.

It is an object of the invention to create a water heater design which has increased efficiency with a simplified and consequently less expensive construction.

This invention is intended to be an improvement over earlier designs of the U-tube type such as disclosed in patents to Storey, 1,618,735, Griswold, 1,691,008, or Brown et al., 1,714,843. It is an object to design a construction which combines the advantages of the direct bottom heating with the indirect but controlled heating of sidewalls of the tank. Thus the advantages of the so-called U-tube type of heater are combined with the direct heating in a construction which is simple and inexpensive.

The type of heater under consideration is sometimes referred to as a tea kettle type, namely, that design in which a fluid burner such as gas or oil is so placed that the flame is directed against the bottom of the tank. The products of combustion then rise around the tank and pass out the top. The objection of this type of construction is that the heat of the tank operates during the off cycle to create a draft past the tank and thus cool the water. With the present invention the circulation during the off period is entirely eliminated. Furthermore, with the present invention the condensation on the tank is eliminated so that corrosion is thus avoided.

Other objects and features of the invention relating to details of construction and operating will be evident in the following specification and claims:

In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation with the insulation in section showing the various elements of the heater construction.

Figure 2 is a side elevation at right angles to that of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view on line 33 of Figure 2.

In the drawings a tank II] is surrounded by insulation II which is so arranged that it closes in the top of the tank as at 12 but leaves a circumferential Vertically extending chamber entirely around the tank. This chamber extends substantially the entire length of the tank but is divided by members 14 so that actually two chambers are formed referred to generally as l and I6. The dividing members l4 do not extend to the top of the chambers l5 and I6 but stop short of the top so that the chambers are connected. The chamber [6 is blocked off from the bottom by divider l! but adjacent the lower 1 end of chamber I6 is an opening 20 leading to an outlet fiue 2|. A draft diverter construction 22 is provided in the outlet flue.

In the operation of the heater when the burner 25 in a heating space 26 is lighted the flame will play directly on the bottom of the tank. The products of combustion will pass upwardly as shown. by the arrows in the chamber I 5, but there the will be baffled over to chamber I6 above the dividers M. The upward force of the hot gases in chamber I5, plus the effect of the outlet flue 20, will cause the gases to flow downwardly in chamber [5 through the outlet and up through the pipe 2|. It will be noted, however, that when the flame is turned off hot air will tend to rise in both chamber l5 and I6, and it will be trapped in these chambers so that no circulation passes the heated tank. As a result the efficiency is increased during the heating cycle by extracting all the possible heat from the gases, and during the off period there is no air cooling effect on the tank.

The problem of flow through the above defined passages was not so easily solved. It was found that turbulence and cross-currents retarded upward flow in chamber 15 to the extent that poor combustion and inefficient operation resulted. This was solved by placing a shield 24 of thin non-corrosive material, such as stainless steel, shown in chamber I5 snug against the side of tank In. With this arrangement flow of the gases was stimulated and the turbulence avoided. The exact reasons for this phenomena are not clear but the results are extremely satisfactory. It was found also that the provision of the shield 24 avoided the formation of condensate on the sides of the tank, thus removing an ever present problem in water heating.

It is the intention to claim protection on such part of the present disclosure as is found to be novel. The following claims are presented to aid in determinin the extent of such protection.

I claim:

1. A water heater to be used with a cylindrical, vertically disposed water tank comprising an insulating jacket surrounding but spaced from the tank to form a heatin chamber below and around the tank, and means dividing the chamber vertically to a point adjacent but spaced from the top whereby heated gases may pass up one side of the tank and down the other side, and a flow shield to avoid turbulence comprising a sheet of non-corrosive heat conducting material lying against the wall of the tank in the heating chamber.

2. A water heater to be used With a cylindrical, vertically disposed Water tank, comprising an insulating jacket surrounding but spaced from the tank cooperating with dividing means to form vertical chambers on either side of said tank, one of the chambers being opened at the bottom to receive products of combustion from a fluid burner, the other being closed from such products of combustion at the bottom but opened to an outlet flue whereby heated gases from such burner will pass up one side of the tank and down the other side to the outlet flue, and a flow shield to avoid turbulence comprising a sheet of noncorrosive heat conducting material lying against the wall of the tank in the heating chamber.

HAROLD E. HANDLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number Number 4 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Boegler Mar. 29, 1887 Fowles June 21, 1921 Schenck Dec. 26, 1922 Shuell Oct. 30, 1928 Griswold Nov. 6, 1928 Braden Nov. 13, 1928 Brown May 28, 1929 Gray Apr. 11, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Germany Oct. 27, 1886 'Germany Apr. 10, 1936 

